Withdraw DLF project in Bangalore, says BJP

If the government failed to do so they would expose the alleged nexus between the four Janata Dal ministers and promoters of various other housing projects in the vicinity of the reservoir. He, however, would not name the ministers. The needle of suspicion also pointed to Bangalore Development Minister Anant Nag, who had categorically said that the order granting permission would be withdrawn.

Ramachandre Gowda saw the permissions granted to housing projects there, as a "conspiracy" by the ruling party to ensure that the supply from the reservoir – which now serves as a major source to the city – is eventually replaced by a supply from the OECF-sponsored Cauvery IV stage. The latter will cost more.

The party also demanded that a white paper be published on the correspondence between the State government and the DLF which had started the ground work for the project in 1984-88.

Urging that DLF could be allotted space elsewhere, Suresh Kumar said that since the project had been opposed by leading citizens like Minister M Chandrashekar, Planning Board Deputy Chairman D M Nanjundappa and former Environment Secretary Yellappa Reddy and even Janata Dal Member of Parliament A Lakshmisagar, the decision by the ruling party further points the needle of suspicion in their direction.

Moreover, following the Supreme Court judgment in September 1998, when he had raised the issue in the Assembly, ministers M C Nanaiah, M P Prakash and Anant Nag had categorically said that the order would be withdrawn. It is five months since then and yet nothing has happened, he added.

If the order is not withdrawn, the BJP would launch a people’s movement against the handiwork of the government, he said.

No construction that of DLF or any other company would be allowed to come up in that area, he said. Even in the case of the Janapriya Apartments which had been given permission, the party has asked the government to declare it "unfit" for occupation.

The party also demanded that the State Pollution Control Board be scrapped since it failed to implement its role and had so far never taken a decision in the interests of the people.